Ch.66Alliance (9)

-Knock knock knock.

As I was stretching to finish my day, a knock sounded at the dormitory door.

Eric Endra, the protagonist of the novel, and I exchanged glances in the living room.

We stared at each other for a moment.

Eric shrugged first.

“Must be your guest, I suppose.”

“…Hmm.”

At his words, I stopped stretching and opened the door.

-Creak.

Call it the protagonist’s intuition. Or perhaps there were only a limited number of people who would visit us at this late hour. Sure enough, my guest was standing outside the door.

“…Asena.”

“……”

As if this place were her own bedroom, she walked past me without even greeting me.

“…Asena, stop. I’m not alone here, you can’t just come in like this.”

At my words, Asena shifted her gaze to Eric, who was in the living room with me.

Having already entered, she asked:

“…May I come in?”

“Yes, go ahead.”

Eric has a kind personality, but I could sense his desire to avoid making this into a bigger issue.

It wasn’t much of a request, really.

Thinking this wasn’t right, I was about to say something to Asena when she slipped into my room without another word.

“…..”

“…..”

I was left speechless as she headed straight to my room without saying anything.

Eric and I remained silent for a long time in this strange situation.

Then, once again, it was Eric who broke the silence.

“Asena seems upset about something, doesn’t she?”

“…Hmm…indeed.”

“Was the grand council difficult?”

Since the nobles had been gathered all day for the grand council, that seemed plausible.

But…something felt odd. Of course it must have been tiring, but I didn’t think it would be enough to overwhelm Asena. Knowing the amount of work she routinely handles, I thought the grand council might actually be more like a break for her.

Unable to come up with an answer, I excused myself to Eric.

“…I’ll go in and see what she has to say.”

“Go ahead. I’ll be in my room, so don’t worry about me while you talk.”

“Thanks, Eric. See you tomorrow.”

“Have a good night.”

After saying goodbye to him, I also entered my room where Asena had gone.

She was leaning against the window, looking outside. It was so dark outside that I wondered what she could possibly see. The moon was hidden, so the only stimulus from outside was the sound of insects.

Ah, and the cool breeze.

A refreshing breeze blew in, carrying the fragrant scent of Asena’s hair to me.

Somewhat calmed by that scent, I asked her:

“What’s wrong?”

“……”

The more I looked at her, the more I could sense her mood. There weren’t many reasons why she would act this way.

Having deduced the reason, I asked:

“How did your grandmother scold you this time?”

“……”

I poured tea into a cup on the table. Nothing soothes the mind better while listening to someone’s troubles. But as I was pouring the tea, she said:

“…Brother, sit over there.”

“Huh?”

I stopped pouring the tea and looked up at Asena.

Still turning her back to me and looking out the window, she was pointing at the bed.

“What about the tea?”

“Just sit down first.”

Perhaps she didn’t want to drink it right now. I put down the teapot and sat on the bed as she instructed.

As the cushion made a sound when compressed, Asena moved. She detached herself from the window and slowly approached me.

“What now?”

Seeing that her expression wasn’t very good when she finally showed her face to me, I took her hand to comfort her as she approached.

But Asena didn’t stop there.

“…Brother, stay still.”

She slowly began to climb onto my lap.

“Hey, what are you—”

“—Just stay still.”

She was now straddling my thighs.

She knelt with her legs wrapped around my thighs, pressing her navel against mine.

Her chest was completely pressed against me, and her arms were already wrapped around my neck.

Asena finished settling in by burying her head in my collarbone.

After positioning herself like a coiled snake, she stopped moving.

The small sound of her breathing. Her fragile body. Sometimes I find it hard to believe that this is the terrible villainess from that novel.

Confused by the rather intimate skinship, I asked:

“…Why are you being so clingy today?”

“……”

“Is this why you came so late at night?”

“…….”

“Did you get scolded badly?”

Since she only gets this upset when she fights with me or gets scolded by her grandmother, I had to ask.

But Asena’s answer was something I hadn’t imagined.

“…We fought.”

“Huh?”

“……”

“You fought with Grandmother?”

I was surprised by her words. Being scolded is one thing, expressing dissatisfaction is another, but I never expected to hear that they had fought.

After all, no one ever stood up to Grandmother.

After a moment of surprise, I collected myself and took Asena’s side.

“…So you found your courage? Fighting with Grandmother and all.”

She nodded her head against my collarbone.

“Did you win?”

“…Huh?”

“If you fought, you should have won.”

Asena hesitated at my joke for a moment, but eventually started giggling.

Laughter is a good sign. I patted her back as she embraced me.

Sometimes she’s really cute. Being human, I often felt proud that Asena showed sides of herself only to me. Especially since it was Asena of all people.

The high-ranking noble, the rigid Duchess Praester.

After laughing softly in my arms for a while, she picked up the subject she had set aside.

“…It was a tie, brother.”

“You tied in a fight with Grandmother?”

“…I think so. We didn’t reach a conclusion.”

“Why are you so upset then? That’s a lot of progress.”

“…We were discussing a topic where I absolutely couldn’t lose.”

“What topic was it?”

“…That’s a secret.”

“Hmm. I’m curious.”

Asena, who was already clinging tightly to me, twisted her hips and pressed even closer. I didn’t think we could get any closer, but the gap between us continued to disappear.

“…At least tell me what Grandmother said to you. I need to know why you’re being so clingy.”

“…Do you want to know?”

“If you can tell me.”

“…’Absolutely not. Come to your senses. You’re just confused about your feelings right now…'”

“Grandmother said that to you?”

“Yes.”

Though I was hearing Grandmother’s words through Asena, I could almost sense her tone.

Surely, she wouldn’t have spoken as quietly as Asena just did. Judging by the words and phrases used, I could easily guess that she must have been quite furious.

Asena had her head buried so deeply in my chest that I couldn’t see her expression.

My curiosity grew, and I really wanted to ask what had happened to her, but I knew she wouldn’t tell me, and I also knew this wasn’t the right time to ask.

Asena came to me because she wanted to lean on me, so all I needed to do was be her pillar.

I stroked her back and then wrapped my arms around her, hugging her tightly.

“Oof.”

“..Ah..”

She was momentarily surprised, but as if this wasn’t the wrong answer, Asena hugged me back just as tightly as I was hugging her.

“It’s okay. You got scolded by Grandmother, that’s all. If it’s hard, I’ll always be by your side, so come to me like this anytime. Okay?”

“…Yes.”

“That’s what family is for, right?”

“…………….”

At my words, Asena stiffened briefly, then rubbed her face against my neck again. Just like a cat would do.

After embracing each other tightly for a long time.

Asena let out a long sigh and said to me:

“…Brother. I think there will be big changes ahead.”

“In what sense?”

“…Just. In relationships.”

“Asena. Can’t you just tell me what you talked about?”

I tried to probe her once more, but she just shook her head.

After easily rejecting my question, she made a request:

“…So, brother. No matter what happens, you shouldn’t be too surprised, okay?”

“………Well, we’ll see when it happens.”

At that moment, Asena suddenly used her whole body to push me. With our bodies still pressed together, she straightened her bent legs and pushed me backward.

With that force, I ended up lying on the bed while embracing her, and Asena ended up on top of me.

“Oops.”

“…Brother.”

After being laid down on the bed, the thought that came to my mind was that her level of clinginess was definitely higher than usual today.

It felt like she was straddling the boundary line of affection that could be shown to family, nudging my standards.

The fact that we were lying on a bed probably contributed to that feeling.

Late at night with no one around. Hugging each other tightly while lying on a bed—it’s a bit questionable no matter how you try to deny it.

Just as I was thinking I should detach her, Asena, who was on top of me, slowly raised her head and brought her face right in front of mine.

There was only about a finger’s width of distance between our noses.

Her green eyes stared directly at me, creating a strange tension.

After silently looking at me like that, she quietly asked:

“…Brother. Tell me you love me.”

“…What?”

“…Say you love me. Just three times.”

It wasn’t such a difficult request, but there was still a strange atmosphere created by the situation itself. I could detect something…unusual in Asena that I hadn’t noticed before, and I became even more confused.

Nevertheless, the reason I couldn’t immediately reject her request was because her voice trembled slightly at the end.

Whether she was nervous or upset about something. Seeing the usually unshakable Asena trembling made my heart waver too.

I wondered how desperate she must be to act like this. She had briefly mentioned the incident with her grandmother to me, but perhaps something bigger than I had anticipated had happened. I couldn’t bring myself to say no to Asena, who seemed to desperately need affirmation of affection.

“…Haah…I love you. I love you. I love you.”

In the end, I told her I loved her. I decided to ask questions later and just be her strength for now. It seemed better to do as she wanted and quickly resolve the situation.

After hearing my words, Asena briefly averted her gaze and shuddered, then shook her head and said to me:

“…Again, without the sigh.”

“What?”

“You sighed as if you were saying it reluctantly. Say it again.”

“…You know I love you even without saying it.”

“…But I want to hear it in words.”

“……”

I met Asena’s gaze as she stared at me, but eventually grabbed the back of her neck and hugged her tightly. It was my attempt to avoid eye contact while trying to end the situation.

While doing so, I conveyed to her in a serious voice. I knew the situation wouldn’t end unless I said these words.

“…I love you, Asena. Really.”

“………”

Once again, Asena trembled like a frightened animal. This reaction of hers was also strange, but I didn’t offer her any other comfort.

Asena didn’t ask for more either.

After ignoring her plea to sleep together, I got up and escorted her back to her dormitory room, ending that night’s comfort.

And the next day.

When lunchtime came, Grandmother summoned us.

The twins and I gathered in Grandmother’s guest room. Grandmother, Head Maid Helen, and Head Butler Tein were also present.

It seemed they had indeed fought severely, as Asena and Grandmother wouldn’t even look at each other.

Moreover, Grandmother Riana’s face was filled with concern. Something I rarely saw.

In that uncomfortable atmosphere, Grandmother Riana spoke:

“…I’ve made an important decision, which is why I’ve gathered all of you.”

Normally, I would have been surprised by Grandmother Riana’s heavy words…but perhaps because Asena had given me a hint the night before, I was able to listen to her words more calmly.

Grandmother’s gaze moved to me. Then to Kirsy. Then to Asena, and finally back to me.

Grandmother looked at me and said:

“…Caden.”

“This concerns me, I see.”

“…Yes.”

“It’s okay. Please go ahead.”

Grandmother Riana’s eyes briefly scanned Asena one last time. Asena was only looking at me.

Grandmother Riana said:

“Caden. Your fiancée has been decided to be Judy Ice.”